Automatic repeater for rolling mills



June 9, 1931. J, M, KQCH AUTOMATIC REPEATER Fon ROLLING MILLS Filed April 12, l1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l JOHN M KOCH INVENTOR.

June 9, 1931. J. M. KocH AUTOMATIC REPEATER FOR RLLING MILLS 2v Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 12, 1930 fof/,v M. Kom

INVENToR.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented June 9, `1931 PATENT OFFICE JOHN M. KOCH, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

.AUTOMATIC REPEATER FOR 4ROIIZ'LINGr MILLS Application med april 1a,

invention relates to automatic repeatl ers for rolling mills and has a particular lreference to automatic means for returning the bar which is being rolled, fromone pass to the other in the rollingvmill.

The object of myi'nvention is to replace manual labor which is usually required for directing a bar into successive passes between the rolls,with an automatic mechanism, using guiding troughs with automatically operated gates or switches.

My invention is more fully described in the accompanying specificationl and drawings 1n which- Fig. 1 is a plan, Fig. 2 is an elevation of my device, Fig. 3 is a plan of a modi'ed device, and Fig. 4 is an elevation of the modified device. i

My device consists of a flat trough 1 supported on legs 2 in an inclined position with its lower end directed to the receiving sideiof rolls 3. A second and shorter trough 4 is supported on bars 5 attached to the first trough. The bars 5 have slots 6 for the bolts 7 so that the position of the second or returning trough can be adjusted in relation tothe receiving side of the rolls 3. The upper trough 4 terminates at a suiiicient height above the first trough so as to allow the rolled bars to pass under it. It has a light flap 8 mounted on a shaft 9 supported in bearings '10 andpro-,.

vided with a side arm 11. This flap can'be easily raised by the movement of a rolled bar and falls back by gravity, so that the bar on its return trip slides over on the upper trough. The lower and theupper troughs are inclined 4Atoward the rolls.

A pair of guiding rolls 12 and 13 are supported on the trough 1, the upper roll being pressed against the lower by springs 14 andA is provided with a sprocket 15 with a chain 16 driven by an electric motor 17 also supported on the sides of the trough 1 for which purpose a bracket 18 is bolted to the edges of the trough. An air cylinder 19 is rotatively supported with its trunnions 20 in bearings 21 mounted on a bracket 22 supported at the bottom of the trough 1. A piston with a rod 23 is fitted in the cylinder, the end of the piston rod bebar to enter between these rolls.

1930. serial' N9. 443,741.

ing connected with the end of an arm or clevis 24 pivotally connected with one end of a lever 25. This lever is pivoted on a pin 26 supported von the trou h 1 and its other end carries bearings for t e lower-` guiding roll 12. An adjusting screw27 regulates the position of the roll when it is in its operatmg position, so as to leave a suflicient clearance from the upper .roll 13 and to enable the rolled The arm 11 is pivotally connected with a link 28 the other end of which is connected with an air valve 29 admitting compressed air into the cylinder 19..

The operation of my device is as follows. A bar 30, coming from the rolls 3, is pushed up the trough 1 and under the upper trough 4. Its end raises the flap 8 thereby moving the arm 11 with its link 2 8 and opening the valve 29. The air is thereby admitted into the cylinder 19 causing the piston to move out, pushing the end of the lever 25 and pressing the lower roll 12 againstythe upper roll 1 3 with a clearance between them regulated by the screw 27. The upper roll 13 is ro- 75 tatedby the motor 17 and is corrugated in orderto obtain a better grip on the bar 30. The

end of this bar is caught between the rolls and the bar is drawn up by theserolls until its rear end .clears the 'flap 8. The latter drops 80 back thereby moving the arm 11 and closing the air valve from the air supply pipe 31, the same movement opening the exhaust from the cylinder. The weight of the lower roll 12 will cause it to drop down thereby releasing 35 the bar 30 which will then slide back under its gravity.' On its return movement its rear end will'glide over the flap 8 and will be directed accordinglyon the 4lupper trough 4.

This type of repeater is especially adapted 90 for heavy and comparatively short Ybars .which caneasily slide down and back into the mill by gravity. For thin and long bars, rods and strips a modified construction is used as shown in`Figs. 3 and 4. Here the 95 -lower trough '1 is placedy horizontally so as to guide .the strip coming from the rolls on the low supporting rolls or, even, on the ioor. A very .light Hap 32 is provided rotating on the shaft 9. The end of the flap has.' mi

at one end with the edge of the trough 1 and l with a bracket 35-on the other end, the

bracket being attached to the end of the shaft 9. v

The trough 4 has guiding bars 36 adapted to direct the strip exactly into the space for it in the rolls 3. rEhe opening between the bars can be adjusted by means of screws 37.

The arrangement of the auxiliary or lguiding rolls 12 and 13 is similar to the one described above except that the roll 13 is operated in the reverse directionand is used only for feeding the strip back into the mill when the lower roll 12 is pressed against it by the action of the plunger in the air cylinder 19. A small roll 38 is continuously operated in the direction away from the mill and assists the strip to move when the rolls 12.

and 13 are disengaged. rlhere being no upper roll, the small roll 38 does not interfere with the movement of the strip toward the mill.

l claim as my invention:

1. In an automatic repeater for rolling mills, lthe combination with a lower trough adapted to receive a rolled bar from a rolling mill, means to pull said bar away from said mill, controlling device for said means,

f said controlling device beingadapted to be les lower .end of said upper trough,'said flap be-l ing adapted to let said bar pass when it is moved away from said mill, and being further adapted to direct said bar on said upper trough when said bar is moved back to said :'mill, said upper trough being adapted to guide said bar into a return pass in said mill, and means to pull said bar away from said mill, said means being controlled by said flap when said flap is raised, said pulling means being rendered inoperative when said Hap is released from said bar and lowered.

3. In an automatic repeater for rollin mills, the combination with a lower troug adaptedto receive a rolled bar from a rolling mill, of'an upper trough extending from said lower trough to a return pass on said mill, a

hinged Hap on said upper trough adapted to become deiected by said bar, an auxiliary roller above said lower trough, means to operate said roller, a second roller, and means to press said second roller to said auxiliary roller thereby engaging said bar so as to pull said bar away from said mill, said pressing means being controlled by said flap and rendered operative when said flap is raised by said bar.

4. ln an automatic repeater for rolling mills, the combination with a lower trough adapted to receive a rolled material from a rolling mill, of an upper trough extending from said lower trough to a return pass on said mill, an auxiliary roller above said lower trough, means to operate said roller, a second roller, means to press said second roller against said auxiliary roller lthereby clamping said material between said rollers, and a controlling device for said pressing means,`

said controlling device being operated by the movement of said material.

5. lin an automatic repeater for rolling mills, the combination with a lower trough adapted to receive a rolled bar from a rolling mill, auxiliary rolls, means to bring said auxiliary rolls in an engagement with said bar for pulling said bar away from said rolling mill, a controlling device -for said auxiliary rolls adapted to be operated by said bar, and adapted to render said auxiliary rolls inoperative when said bar is moved away from said controlling device and from said rolls, means to move said bar back into said rolling mill, and means to direct said bar into a return pass of said rolling mill.

In testimony whereof l affix my signature.

JOHN M. KCH. 

